


The Commander: Personal Trainer

by hlnwst



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-30 01:17:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10149839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlnwst/pseuds/hlnwst
Summary: Clarke works at a big gym. She has a huge crush on the gym's most popular personal trainer, known as The Commander. She's pretty sure that the Commander doesn't know she exists, but a few chance encounters lead her to believe otherwise...#ClexaWeek Day 7: Free write





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was actually my first foray into Clexa fanfic world. Wrote this a while ago, but wanted to update some current fics before posting this. Small multi-chap fic that I thoroughly enjoyed writing :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The 100, but JRat shouldn’t either so…

Clarke Griffin was all smiles as she greeted each member as they scanned in through the turnstiles of the gym. It was 6am and, as always, busy with the constant flow of people getting their morning workout in before rushing off to whatever career they had.

She loved mornings at the gym. She loved the energy. She loved seeing her best friend and cracking jokes about the regulars, fellow members of staff and the dolls.

The dolls were Clarke’s favourite part of the day. Raven had come up with the name for the women – young and old – who came into the gym in their skimpy outfits to gossip more than anything else. Initially, she’d been ashamed at how they were poking fun at women they didn’t even know, but Raven’s comments in her ear every five minutes drew her in to the fun.

“Griffin, more towels in Studio 3,” Octavia Blake, their supervisor, barked. “Class will be letting out in ten minutes and they’ll need towels.”

Clarke pulled her mouth to one side. Octavia was a pint-sized woman only a few months older than Clarke herself, but she was formidable in her own right. Her boyfriend, Lincoln, followed her around like an obedient puppy dog, but he was a really sweet guy and Octavia was kinda hot so she couldn’t really blame him.

“Clarke!” Raven hissed.

“Right.” She snapped back to the present and grabbed a stack of neatly folded towels from the counter and headed quickly to Studio 3.

She hummed to herself as she got closer to the studios, each one playing a high-energy tune from the latest Top 40. She glanced at the roster outside Studio 3 and her breath caught in her throat. The Commander was in Studio 3 for her twice-a-week cardio workout.

_Holy shit._

It was one of the most popular classes at the gym and Clarke wasn’t surprised that extra towels were needed. Every class was packed and every person walked (or stumbled) out of there drenched in sweat.

She swallowed. The Commander was ruthless. She was notorious for not giving a shit if people were cramping or hyperventilating. She was hard-core. She had an unyielding _never say die_ attitude that Clarke admired.

There were many things that Clarke admired about the Commander.

Many, many things.

Clarke took a deep breath and opened the door, sliding in unnoticed. Her heart rate increased as a strong voice barked commands at the exhausted gym members.

“Trying is not good enough! Victory stands on the back of sacrifice, people!”

Clarke started stacking the towels, avoiding the front of room at all costs.

Okay, so she had a thing for the Commander. Like, a big thing. She couldn’t help it. Lexa Woods, aka the Commander, just oozed sex and confidence and those were two things that happened to be in Clarke’s top 5 weakness list.

The Commander happened to check the other three boxes as well.

Captivating eyes – only the dreamiest green eyes that Clarke had ever seen.

Abs for days – Holy crap. Just…holy crap.

Self-sufficient – Okay, so she’d added that after her douche of an ex-boyfriend decided that he quite liked living in his mom’s basement.

Clarke needed someone who knew what they wanted and didn’t seem too chicken shit to go after it. The Commander definitely seemed like that kind of person.

So yeah, Clarke was kinda screwed – just not in the way she wanted to be.

Lexa never looked in her direction. She did come across as kind of a snob, but her reputation meant the gym kept turning a tidy profit every year. The Commander was professional as anything and Clarke respected that. There was just nothing that she didn’t find alluring about the aloof brunette.

Absolutely nothing.

She was perfect, in every way.

Clarke sighed as she stacked the last of the towels. Just as she turned to leave, the Commander announced that class was over. People headed for the door immediately, no doubt wanting to head straight for the steam room or sauna. Clarke stood to one side, politely smiling at those members that weren’t grimacing in pain to smile back.

When there was a wide enough gap between members, she slipped out and headed back to the front desk.

“Griffin!”

She skidded to stop. “Hi, Octavia. You know you can call me Clarke, right?”

Octavia lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. “Studio 3 is empty for the next half hour. Give it a good scrub down, would ya?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Clarke didn’t mind the grunt work of her job. The gym paid her exceptionally well, which funded her passion for art. Art supplies weren’t cheap so she considered herself lucky to be able to work in a place where she interacted with pretty cool people on a daily basis and there was eye candy in abundance.

Speaking of…

Clarke’s breath caught in her throat as she opened the door of Studio 3 once more, only to be met with the intense green eyes that she dreamt about.

She didn’t move. She couldn’t move. She was rooted to the spot, held captive by Lexa and her hypnotising eyes.

Clarke knew why she was frozen to the spot, but the Commander didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to get past her either.

_Get it together, Griff! Jesus._

Clarke blinked a few times, grounding herself back to reality instead of the fantasy world in her head where Lexa had swept her up and locked the door to Studio 3, preparing to-

“Have a good day, Clarke,” Lexa murmured, sliding past her, making sure (Clarke thought) to brush their bodies against one another.

Clarke wasn’t sure if she let out a whimper or a groan, but she was certain that some kind of noise escaped her at Lexa’s brash move.

And, oh, did she smell good. Sure, she was sweaty, but Clarke loved seeing sweaty Lexa. It was one of her favourite looks on the brunette goddess.

Once the door closed behind her, Clarke did let out a groan at her complete inability to do anything normal around Lexa. The Commander wielded a presence over pretty much everyone in the gym, including the managers, and Clarke was no exception. In fact, she was probably the most susceptible.

“You are an idiot, Griff,” she muttered to herself, walking to the closet at the back of the room. Some hard labour would have to quell her throbbing arousal until her shift ended at three and she could escape to her apartment for some much needed masturbation time.

* * *

 

Clarke hummed as she cooked herself dinner. She’d had a very productive afternoon. She’d got home, taken care of her lingering arousal and spent a few hours sketching. Of course, her drawing had been of the Commander with war paint across the green eyes that Clarke loved to draw. She found the war paint really made the colour stand out. She’d already replaced her green pencils four times since her last major stock replenishment.

She just really liked Lexa’s eyes, okay?

“Yo, Griff.”

Clarke jumped at the sudden sound of Raven’s voice.

Her best friend narrowed her eyes. “This looks suspiciously like a night in when we specifically scheduled a night _out_.”

Clarke frowned. “I don’t remember that discussion.”

Raven lifted a shoulder. “I must have forgotten to tell you. Enough dilly-dallying. Get yourself sparkly!”

“Ray, I really just want a night in.”

“Why, so that you can make your one ridiculously healthy meal of the week and draw the Commander in seventy different shades of green?”

Clarke blushed. Raven was well aware of her crush on her co-worker. Well, she wasn’t exactly subtle about it when Lexa walked into the room.

“Griff, Griffin, Clarkey, Princess,” Raven began in what she assumed was a sympathetic tone.

“You know I hate being called Princess,” she muttered. “Finn started that nickname and he’s a douche.”

“No arguments on that front,” Raven agreed. “ _But_ you are my best friend and that gives me unlimited allowance to call you whatever I want.”

Clarke sighed.

“Clarkey McClarkepants.”

“Raven, that’s not-“

“Griffsterrific.”

“Oh my God.”

“Griff of Clarke.”

“That was terrible.”

“Agreed, that was a poor attempt. But to get back to my original point-“

“Oh, did you have one?” Clarke teased, turning the heat on low as she sprinkled a pinch of spice into her stir fry.

“Hardy har. Yes, I did. And my point is that you are young, beautiful and single. And you should _not_ be spending a Friday night indoors.”

“How I choose to spend my Friday night – or any night, for that matter – is my choice, Raven,” Clarke stated.

Raven looked at her for a few moments. “You so need to get laid.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Just because you have an insatiable libido doesn’t mean that the rest of the universe does too.”

But maybe Raven was right. It had been a few months…

“Come on. Please?” Raven begged, bringing out the puppy dog pout.

“I’m not going to enjoy myself if you guilt me into going, Ray.”

Raven dropped the pout. “Okay, fine. This is me, your bestest friend in the entire universe, asking you to come out with me and some of our friends who, by the way, have forgotten what you look like.”

Clarke sighed. “Guilting me.”

“Come _on_! I have never had to work so hard to get a girl to go out with me. You’re ruining my rep, Griff.”

At that, Clarke had to chuckle. She glanced down at her simmering food.

Compromise.

“I will meet you at the club once I have eaten my dinner and taken the time to get myself sparkly,” she said diplomatically.

“Atta girl.” Raven fist-pumped the air. “Meet at _Dropship_ at ten.”

“See you later.”

Raven skipped out, leaving Clarke to wonder how the hell she’d unlocked her front door to get in anyway. 

* * *

 

Lexa Woods liked control. She liked order. She disliked chaos. Unfortunately, her best friend’s middle name was chaos.

Lexa deftly dodged yet another article of clothing flying at her head.

“You are _not_ going to bail on me yet again, Lexa,” Anya told her sternly. “This whole isolation routine is getting old.”

Maintaining a cool façade (as she always did), Lexa replied, “I have no desire to go to a crowded club where drinks are overpriced and people forget their basic self-control.”

“God,” Anya groaned. “You and control. I swear, you need to get laid.”

Lexa blinked. “I get laid.”

“Ha! And my butt’s purple.”

“That’s only because you leave your left flank open to attack. It’s hardly my fault that I pinned you seven times today.”

Anya glared at her. “I was being nice. Don’t get used to it.”

“You being nice? I didn’t think it was possible for you to be nice, Anya.”

“You are such a bitch. Now make yourself useful and find my fucking red dress!”

“This one?” Lexa picked up the first thing she saw on Anya’s horrendously untidy bed.

“Oh my God, _yes_! Now, what are you going to wear?”

Lexa folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe, not bothering with a response.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think you understand. Not going is not optional. You will be escorting me to this club because I have about a ninety-four percent chance of getting laid tonight and your obligation as my best friend is to be my wingwoman.”

“That is ridiculous. Firstly, there is no plausible way for you to have worked out the percentage of you possibly getting laid without knowing some of the variables beforehand, therefore you do not need me there as your wingwoman because it sounds like you already have a hook up ready and waiting for you at the club.”

“Your mom was right,” Anya mumbled. “You would have made an incredible lawyer. Or politician.”

Lexa shrugged. “I’m still young.”

“You are by far the most boring twenty-five-year-old on this _planet_.”

“Have you met every twenty-five-year-old on this planet?”

“Smartass.”

“I rest my case.”

“See? Lawyer.”

Lexa just chuckled.

Anya sighed. “Lex, please? I feel like I never see you in any kind of social context. If we’re not working, we’re having dinner either here or at your place. I miss being in a crazy loud place with you and making fun of the drunk people. I miss you and your sense of humour.”

“I don’t have a sense of humour.”

“See? That! That’s what I miss.”

Lexa frowned in confusion. “Have you been pre-drinking?”

Anya huffed. “Obviously. But that’s not the point. I want to go out and have a good night, and I want my best friend with me because that’s what best friends do.”

She already knew that she was going to regret her decision.

“Fine,” she muttered. “But as soon as your tongue ventures down someone’s throat, I’m gone.”

“Deal.” Anya replied immediately with a wide grin. 

* * *

 

Clarke and Raven had been at _Dropship_ for all of twenty minutes, and already each of them had downed four shots.

“It’s a curse being so hot,” Raven deadpanned, leaning against the bar, thrusting her chest out for any passers-by to ogle.

Clarke giggled. “You’re such a slut.”

Raven winked. “Griff, you flatter me.” Her eyes scanned the club, seemingly looking for someone.

“Please don’t tell me you invited me here to be your distraction until someone hotter comes along,” Clarke groaned.

“I am offended. You are the hottest of the hot, Clarkey. But you lost your chance to get all up on this back in college.”

She giggled again. Unfortunately, she was a giggly drunk. “Ray, that would have been super awkward. Well, the sex would have been great.”

“No doubt.”

“No doubt,” Clarke continued, “but the aftermath would have destroyed us. The temptation would always be there to do it again and then we would have become fuck buddies, which would have totally fucked our friendship because I would have eventually started to feel something, whether it was guilt or something else and that wouldn’t be fair to either of us. We’d stop talking to each other and I would have lost out on a great friendship because of some great sex.”

“Awesome sex.”

“No doubt.”

Raven grinned. “You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Griff.”

Clarke gave a small smile and toyed with the strap of her father’s watch. “I think I wanna find something serious, Ray. I don’t want fly-by-nights. I don’t want fleeting. I want the real deal. I want someone to miss, someone to go home to every night, someone to cuddle with without the pressure of it being anything more than that.”

To her credit, Raven didn’t seem surprised. “So let’s find you a princess, Princess! Or a prince. Obvs. No judgement.”

“Ray, I somehow don’t think I’ll find my Miss or Mr. Right in a club.”

“Hey, many a fanfic will tell you that beautiful things begin in a nightclub where your inhibitions are lowered and you do and say things you wouldn’t ordinarily do.”

“Been there, done that.” Clarke signalled the bartender for another drink.

“It’ll happen, Clarke.” Raven became uncharacteristically serious. “I know you and you’ll find that true love. Who knows, you may have even found it already.”

Clarke rolled her eyes as she paid for the beers, smiling at the bartender in thanks.

“Yeah, right. Because that’s realistic.”

“You never know,” Raven sang. “The Commander could be your lady knight in tight spandex for all you know.”

Clarke handed Raven a beer. “Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be that lucky.”

“Luck is a matter of perspective.” Raven grinned out into the crowd. “And perspective is about to hit you square in the nether regions.”

“What does that even mean?” Clarke asked, following Raven’s line of sight.

 _Oh, crap_.

She quickly turned around and downed her beer. “Ray, please tell me you didn’t set this up. Please tell me you didn’t get me here just for this.”

Raven kissed her cheek. “That would make me a liar. Now put on your big girl pants and go and talk to her!”

Clarke shook her head and took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t believe Raven had gone behind her back and-

“Hello, Clarke.”

Slowly, she turned around and swallowed, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “Hey.”

* * *

Lexa was bored. Anya hadn’t found her ninety-four percentile hook up yet and was getting antsy. As Lexa had predicted, the club was noisy and filled with people who had relinquished all self-control in the name of a ‘good time’. She scoffed internally. She knew a multitude of better ways that she could have spent her evening.

She glanced at Anya, who was chatting animatedly to the bartender, and bit the inside of her lip. Anya was right. She had been distant – and with good reason. She wasn’t a very sociable person, never had been. And when she had decided to step into the world, just crap had followed.

She set her jaw. No. The way she lived her life was the best way; for her, for everyone.

“Hey, Lex. You doing okay?”

“Peachy.”

“Don’t be mad, please?”

Lexa sighed. “I’m not. I’m bored.”

“So come and dance with me.”

“Dance, Anya? You must be drunk to suggest that.”

“No, you’re just a granny inside a smoking hot body. I remember you in high school, missy. We had to drag you off the dance floor.”

Lexa felt a brief flush colour her cheeks.

“That was a long time ago, Anya. I’m not that girl anymore.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Anya snipped back. “Come on, Lex. For old times’ sake?”

Lexa knew she wasn’t getting out of a dance so she downed her drink and allowed Anya to pull her onto the dance floor. It took two or three songs, but her best friend being goofy and playful reminded Lexa of how it used to be and for a brief moment, she let her walls down. Anya squealed her delight and Lexa smiled wider in return. They spent a good fifteen minutes on the dance floor, attracting attention from both sexes. While Anya relished in the attention, Lexa retreated from it. She immediately starting distancing herself and Anya picked up on it.

“Why don’t we get another drink?” she suggested, guiding them towards the bar. Her eyes lit up as she spotted someone. “Oooh, Lex. I spy with my little eye, someone beginning with a C.”

“Huh?”

Anya pointed to two people leaning against the bar with beers in their hands. Lexa dug her heels in, immediately halting any movement.

“What the hell, Anya? This better not have been why you brought me here!”

Anya looked offended. “ _Moi_? Like I have tabs on what every single person in this city does.”

Lexa just gave her a look.

“Okay, so yes. I may have known she would be here.”

“And her companion is your ninety-four percentile hook up, I’m assuming.”

“You assume correctly, best friend. Now, go play.”

Lexa shook her head. There was only one way this would end: badly. Before she knew it, Anya was dragging her towards the duo.

She really hated her best friend.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a teeny cliffhanger at the end of the previous chapter… Whoops. #sorrynotsorry  
> Diving more into the characters this time round.

For the first time in a long time, Clarke went to work in a bad mood. After Raven’s stunt the previous night at the club, she was more than willing to go an entire day giving her the much-deserved silent treatment. Clarke had been fuming the entire way back to her apartment after storming out of the club, not even bothering to engage in a five-minute conversation with Raven’s surprise guest.

She had only fallen asleep after drinking a bottle of wine. Her heavy partying days in college still held her in good stead so instead of a raging hangover, she had a lingering headache that was easily dealt with by two painkillers and some coffee.

The sun had barely crested the horizon when she walked in through the staff entrance to the gym. Clarke closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before walking into the locker room and methodically went about getting herself ready for her morning shift.

Familiar footsteps behind her caused her to momentarily freeze as she applied a thin layer of eyeliner.

“Clarke,” Raven began in a quiet tone.

The glare she received in return prompted her to wisely shut her mouth and Raven looked down, silently going about her own business.

Still fuming, Clarke perfected her simple make up and slammed her locker door closed, stalking out of the room without a word. She accidentally knocked shoulders with Anya, but was too pissed to even bother with an apology. 

* * *

 

“Whoa!” Lexa heard Anya snap. “Watch it, Griffin!”

She clenched her jaw and simply stared at the back of her locker. As her best friend rounded the corner and entered their row of lockers, Anya faltered somewhat. Lexa had spent the rest of her ruined evening thinking of how she was going to make her best friend pay. Where she came from, no bad deed went unpunished and what Anya had pulled the previous night warranted a harsh reply.

Lexa was going to make her pay.

“Good morning, Anya,” she said in her slow, calculated way. “I trust you slept well. We have a session scheduled at eleven am. Don’t be late.”

As Lexa stood up and walked past her best friend, she smirked to herself as she heard an audible gulp. Anya should be scared. Her nickname was an apt one and it was time that Anya remembered that her best friend status didn’t warrant unfiltered control with Lexa’s personal life.

Lexa furrowed her brow in frustration as she headed for Studio 4 and her first class of the morning. What had given Anya the impression that she had even wanted to see her? Lexa was fine. She was fine with just forgetting everything that had happened. She didn’t need anyone reminding her of what opening herself up to the possibility of love and romance meant.

It just meant hurt. Inevitable hurt.

And Lexa was never going to let herself fall for that again. 

* * *

 

Clarke was quietly eating her granola bar on her break when Octavia found her.

“Griffin, would you be up for working a double today? Atom called in sick. Again.”

Clarke shrugged. She sure as hell didn’t have anything better to do. She wasn’t anywhere close to the right frame of mind to be creative so being at home would have probably just festered her anger.

“Sure, no worries,” she replied.

“Excellent.” Octavia turned to go, but paused. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy.”

Octavia sighed. “Whatever is going on between you and Reyes, just make sure it doesn’t boil over at work.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“You and I have never had any problems so let’s not start now, Griffin.”

As much as she wanted to roll her eyes again and spit out a sarcastic comment, Clarke just nodded, keeping her eyes on the artificial grass underneath her feet.

“Take another break between two and three before you start your next shift.”

“Gotcha,” Clarke mumbled, throwing the other half of her breakfast into the trash as Octavia walked away.

She hated being at odds with Raven, but she was still really upset at her best friend’s subterfuge. She’d simmered from being pissed to being really hurt. She didn’t need to revisit history that had gone bad. It wasn’t like Raven would even have arranged for Finn to show up so why the hell would she do that with Niylah?

Clarke knew that her brief relationship with Niylah wasn’t a good idea as soon as they’d entered into it. She’d just come out of a two-year relationship with Finn and wasn’t in the right frame of mind to dedicate her heart to someone else. She was still trying to repair it.

Still, the sex had been great and Niylah was a distraction from her fucked up love life. The break-up had been difficult, purely because Niylah had started to develop real feelings for Clarke, which were never going to be reciprocated.

Only their break-up didn’t really signify the end of their relationship. Stupidly, Clarke had still hooked up with Niylah after that. Once every few weeks, when wither of them were feeling lonely, they would text one another and spend the night together. And every morning she woke up with Niylah next to her, Clarke swore that it would be the last time.

The last time had, in fact, been about five months ago, on the anniversary of her dad’s death. She’d been woken up by a phone call from her mother and Clarke had rushed to be with her, feeling wracked with guilt that she’d been too wrapped up in her own problems to even call or text her mom on a day that they both struggled with. She’d spent that weekend with her mom and had returned home with a renewed purpose of the kind of person she wanted to be.

Niylah had understood, or so she’d thought. Clarke’s mind wandered back to the previous night where she could clearly see the emotions swirling in Niylah’s eyes. She still wanted Clarke and while Clarke certainly found Niylah attractive, she wanted more than someone to warm her bed. Niylah wasn’t the one that Clarke was going to build a lasting relationship with. She knew herself well enough to know that.

She’d also thought that Raven had known her better than that too.

Evidently not. 

* * *

 

Anya hit the mat with a loud, extended groan. Lexa smirked and flexed her fists, the tap stretching tightly across her knuckles.

“Jesus, Lex.” Anya stood up slowly. “I know you’re pissed, but-“

Lexa didn’t give her a chance to finish before she attacked again. Anya defended as best as she could, but Lexa got her into a choke hold and waited until Anya tapped out, which was disappointingly quick.

She allowed her sparring partner a small reprieve after that, knowing that she was being much harder than she normally would. In her mind, however, the punishment fit the crime.

Lexa walked to the side of the mat where she had her water and towel. She dabbed the sweat on her neck. As much as she enjoyed sparring with Anya, she could feel that she was going much harder at it than normal. She drank some water before controlling her breathing and turning back to her opponent. To Anya’s credit, she was already waiting, a determined gleam in her eyes.

Lexa cocked her head slightly before advancing. They parried punches and kicks, blocking and deflecting, ducking and rolling all over the mat. Anya made the mistake of, once again, leaving her left side open to attack and Lexa didn’t hesitate in taking it. Her friend wheezed as she hit the mat. Lexa just watched her.

“Lex, I’m sorry,” Anya groaned. “I thought-“

“You thought wrong,” Lexa cut in icily, her eyes narrowing. “Get up.”

Anya stared at her from the floor, breathing heavily. They shared a few moments of steely silence before Anya managed to surprise Lexa by kicking out at her from the floor. She recovered quickly and had no problems holding her own once Anya was upright again. A few people had paused at their room to watch the sparring. It didn’t even phase Lexa and Anya, who acted like they were the only two people in the gym at that moment. Their eyes never left each other as they each calculated their next move. Their daily sparring sessions were a scheduled fixture in the gym and the owners let them use one of the glass studios so that the members could watch them if they so desired. They had found that Lexa’s classes were as full as they were partly because of the sparring sessions.

Lexa was her own walking advertisement. And she was damn good at it.

In all the training that Lexa had ever done, she remembered one clear rule: _Don’t allow your emotions to fuel your fight._ The opposite proved true for her. The majority of the time, Lexa kept her emotions hidden away. When she fought, they became her drive, her passion and they made her the best. Her MMA trainer back in college had always said that she could go professional, but Lexa didn’t want the world to see her expressing her emotions. That was way out of her comfort zone. In her gym, in an environment that she controlled, she could fight and know that anyone who saw her wouldn’t be able to figure anything out.

She did an impressive back flip to avoid Anya’s slice kick and when she landed, a pair of blue eyes unwillingly captured her attention for the briefest of moments. Lexa took two deep breaths, unable to look away until she felt gravity doing what it did best.

She frowned as her view suddenly became the ceiling of their sparring room and she cursed herself internally. Anya was quick to take advantage and manoeuvred herself to grip Lexa is an unbreakable hold.

A hold that Lexa herself had taught her.

The embarrassment was overwhelming.

Yet, even as Lexa reluctantly tapped out, her eyes found those of the magnificent Clarke Griffin, who had a strange look of indifference on her face. It made Lexa frown somewhat. In all the months that she’d known Clarke, there had always been the adorable fluster, the stammering of words and the biting of the lip that made Lexa want to-

She blinked, halting her train of thought. Thoroughly embarrassed at where her mind was going, she stood up quickly and gripped Anya’s forearm as a professional courtesy of a good fight. She could tell that Anya was scrutinising her, but Lexa simply grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room, eager for a quick escape from things that were no longer in her control.

A few minutes later, as hot water cascaded down her back and over her face, Lexa’s eyes scrunched up and she released a few tears of frustration. She needed to keep hold of the control, but she was still just a girl and she wasn’t as perfect as she pretended to be.

Half an hour later, she walked back out onto the gym floor, the perfect picture of poise and control. 

* * *

 

Two o’clock came and Clarke didn’t waste any time heading to the locker room to change into her own gym clothes. She didn’t want to work out in her uniform – not that the employees were allowed to do so. It seemed as though only the Commander and her sidekick were extended the privilege of working out while on the clock.

As Clarke tied her hair into a messy plait, she thought of the brief moment where the Commander had looked at her during the sparring session earlier. The way that her brow had crinkled slightly, as though she couldn’t understand why she was there. Clarke had been walking back from her short break and the small crowd outside one of the studios had caught her attention. She’d seen Lexa and Anya sparring before, sure. They did it every day. But there was something different about the way they were dancing around each other. For the first time since Clarke had watched them in absolute amazement (there seemed to be no end to Lexa’s level of perfection in Clarke’s eyes), it had seemed as though there was actual _intent_ behind the punches and kicks.

Clarke certainly felt intent on punching something. She took a breath and closed her locker, immediately heading for the rings.

“Heya, Clarke,” Lincoln greeted with a smile. “I saw that you’d signed up for a session today. How are you?”

She knew that he was being genuinely friendly and she felt bad about taking her bad mood out on him. “Hey, Linc. I’m okay. Just need some venting.”

Lincoln nodded knowingly. “Bag five is all yours.”

Clarke smiled a tight smile and made a beeline for it. She grabbed strapping and quickly got herself ready. She didn’t want to waste time prepping her hands when she could get some of her frustration out.

 _Punch_.

The first one reverberated up her left arm. She grinned.

_Punch._

Methodically, she went through the routine of warming her arms up. Once ready, she danced on her toes for a bit, and then let rip. She almost felt sorry for the bag, because she was really getting weight behind her punches. Clarke tuned everything else out and focused on releasing her anger into every punch.

Finn.

_Punch._

Niylah.

_Punch._

Raven.

_Punch._

Raven again.

_Punch. Punch._

Her dad.

Clarke’s breath caught momentarily before she started pummelling the bag. She missed him terribly and when her emotions got the better of her, she really felt his absence. He was there one day and gone the next. She was robbed of the chance to say goodbye. She was robbed of the chance to tell him that she loved him. She was robbed of seeing his smile one last time. She was robbed of hearing him call her _kiddo_ as he grinned and ruffled her hair. She was robbed and it made her even more mad.

She could feel the sweat pouring down her back, but her focus was deadly. Her arms continuously moved, never resting between punches. She moved her feet so that she would always be able to hit something.

“Clarke.”

Reacting, Clarke spun around and swung. For a moment, she was horrified as she saw her fist connect Raven’s jaw. The moment passed and she stood over her fallen friend, breathing heavily while Raven groaned and cradled her jaw.

“Griffin! Reyes!”

Clarke rolled her eyes as Octavia came stomping over. “I warned you not to let this boil over on the floor,” she hissed.

“It was an accident, Octavia. She caught me by surprise,” Clarke muttered, not really caring that she was being rude.

“Get her sorted out, Griffin. Since you are our resident first aider, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Sir, no, sir.” Clarke mock saluted and walked off to the locker room. She could hear Raven following her. Once they got to the first aid room, she pointed to the bed, not bothering to say anything. Raven obediently sat down. She pulled gloves on and turned around.

Clarke had the decency to wince when she saw the extent of her damage. The skin had already started to bloom purple just along Raven’s jawline. Her mother’s training kicked in and although Clarke was mad, her hands became soft as she prodded along the bone, making sure that there were no fractures or breaks.

Raven, to her credit, held still for the most part. That was one thing that Clarke had always admired about Raven. She never showed feeling any pain. Whether it was from hiding it as a kid, Clarke wasn’t sure. They’d been friends since college, but Raven hadn’t opened up about what had happened to her when she was younger. Clarke understood that people felt the need to keep pain close to the chest. When she did that, she simply became angry and exploded.

She sighed in frustration and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. Case in point. Raven knew how to press her buttons which was why she had felt so angry the night before.

“Clarke, I-“

“Don’t speak,” she interrupted, a quiet anger to her tone. “There are no breaks, but it will bruise and probably be quite tender for a while. As difficult as it is for you, moving your jaw will probably make the pain worse.”

“Okay, but I just need-“

“You’re not going to be a fucking martyr about this, Raven. Just do what I damn well say. I don’t care what you have to say right now, I really don’t. Whatever pig-headed plan you concocted last night was a total disaster. And if you didn’t know that when you thought of it, then you really must not know me very well.”

Raven grabbed her hand, even when Clarke made to pull it away. She held on tight, imploring Clarke with her eyes.

Clarke glared at her best friend, but stayed put. Raven squeezed her hand before letting it go and launched into rapid sign language. They had gotten really close with a deaf kid in college. He’d been in a few of their classes and between Clarke and Raven, they’d always made sure that he got the right notes from the class. They’d also both become pretty fluent at sign language.

 _I’m so sorry. Please let me explain why I did what I did_ , Raven signed.

Clarke raised an eyebrow expectantly. _Fine_ , she signed back.

_You’ve been happy the last few months and I thought that maybe it would be a good time for you to meet up with Niylah again. I know you liked her and you would never make the first move to take things more seriously with her so I thought that if I gave you a push, that you might feel that spark again._

Clarke wanted to punch Raven again. She shook her head in frustration. Even though she knew Raven’s hearing was absolutely fine, she responded in sign out of habit. _That is such bullshit. I told you that I wasn’t serious about her, that our relationship was a mess from start to finish._

_That was then. You’ve dealt with Finn and his crap. Yes, she was a rebound, but you did like her, right?_

“It was purely physical, Raven!” Clarke shouted, feeling like her voice needed to convey her annoyance. “I never liked her enough to contemplate a long-term relationship. After everything that I told you last night about what I _do_ want, that should have been clue enough. But no, when Raven Reyes wants to meddle, fuck the consequences.”

Raven dropped her head. _I messed up and I am so sorry._ She enunciated the movement of every word to show that she truly meant it and Clarke’s anger melted a little. But only a little. _I want to see you happy. You are my best friend in the whole world, and you know that you are the only person that I have ever had to turn to when I need something. I want to be that person for you. I thought I was helping, but clearly not, and I apologise for that._

Clarke pulled her gloves off so that she could rub her forehead, feeling the start of a headache. Or it could be the return of her mild hangover.

“I’m sorry, Clarke,” Raven said quietly.

Even the sharp look that Clarke sent her didn’t stop her from continuing.

“You deserve happiness and I would love to be the one to point you in that direction. You’ve done so much for me, more than you even know, and I want to pay you back.”

“Raven, Jesus. Friendship is not about repaying favours or some shit. Whatever I have done for you is because you’re my friend, not because I want you to do something for me in return.”

“Okay, my bad. I guess…” She sighed. “When I was younger, you got nothing without having to give something back. Nothing in life is free, right? I haven’t met many genuinely nice and good people, but you…” She choked a bit and Clarke’s eyes widened. Similar to not showing pain. Raven hardly ever cried or got sad.

“Clarke, you are the best person I know. You’re gorgeous, inside and out. One day, you’re going to find your soulmate and that’s gonna be so amazing because I’ll get to witness you shine even brighter than you already do. And I don’t wanna sound self-deprecating or anything, but I never thought that I would ever get to be a part of something that wonderful and awesome. Since I met you, that’s all my life has been and I could never thank you enough. So if I do something stupid like arrange a meeting between you and your ex in the hopes of you rekindling something, it’s only because I want you to be as happy as you’ve made me.”

Clarke bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat. Goddamn Raven, bringing out the emotional big guns that just break through any barrier she has.

“Fuck you, Raven,” she whispered with a small glare. “You playing on my emotional heart strings was a low blow.”

“Not intentional, I promise.” Raven held her hands up in surrender. “I’m really sorry, Clarke.”

The blonde sighed. “I know you are.” She stepped forward and put her arms around Raven’s shoulders. “You’re forgiven because I know your heart was in the right place, but I’m still a little mad.”

Raven nodded, her arms wrapping around Clarke’s waist. “Understood. I’ll keep my distance until you say otherwise.”

“And please try not to talk. When that starts to swell, you’re gonna sound ridiculous.” Clarke kissed Raven’s hair before stepping away. “I’ll go and smooth things over with Octavia. It’s almost time for the end of your shift. I’ll cover for you. Go home, Reyes. Take some painkillers and keep that jaw iced.”

Raven saluted and kissed Clarke’s hand in parting. She hopped off the bed and headed straight for the locker room.

“Fuck me,” Clarke breathed into the small room, tossing the scrunched up gloves into the bin.

A familiar voice answered unexpectedly from the door, “Well, normally I go for brunettes, but since you asked so nicely…”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I like cliffhangers. You’re welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m having so much fun with this :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 :(

Clarke grinned happily and danced a little as she walked to work early on a Thursday morning. After her and Raven’s blow up, thing shad been a little uncomfortable for a few days. Raven had eventually melted Clarke by showing up with a steaming cup of coffee every morning, complete with her favourite pastry. Added to that, Raven had cooked delicious homemade meals for her every night that week. If she was being honest with herself, Clarke had pretty much forgiven her by Monday evening, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to pass up the free food.

“Good morning, Griff,” Raven greeted with a big smile as they passed each other in the locker room.

“Good morning, Ray,” Clarke replied, brushing a quick kiss across her cheek. “How’s the jaw?”

“Pretty much all healed up, I’d say. There’s some tenderness in the mornings, but other than that, no discomfort.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Clarke opened up her locker and pulled out her gym clothes. She didn’t start until ten that morning, but often went in early to get a good workout.

She pulled her polo work shirt over her head and rolled her eyes when a cat call and accompanying whistle immediately followed.

“Damn, Griffin. Looking good.”

“Give it a rest, Anya,” Clarke sighed. “Don’t be bitter just because I turned your proposition down.”

Anya leaned against the locker next to Clarke’s and smirked. “Oh, Griffin, my shoulders are way broader than that. But anyone with eyes would appreciate your beauty.”

Clarke couldn’t help a small flush rise into her cheeks at the compliment. If only the words were coming from her best friend…

“Back off, Rivers, she’s not interested,” Raven growled.

Anya chuckled and held up her hands in surrender. “Put a leash on your guard dog, Griffin. I meant no disrespect.”

“You may not have meant it, but that’s how it came across regardless,” Clarke replied flippantly, pulling her tank top over her head. “Pick up lines don’t work on me.”

“The blush says otherwise.”

“Who doesn’t like compliments? But I know better than to fall for them when they’re not genuine.”

“I genuinely appreciate a beautiful woman, Griffin. And you are a beautiful woman.”

Clarke closed her locker door and stood in front of Anya, disregarding any personal space. She took delight in the surprise on the other girl’s face.

“Thank you for the compliment. I would probably take it and you more seriously if I didn’t know that you were only appreciating my physical beauty.”

“Feisty.” Anya’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “For the record, Griffin, you don’t know much about me to make that kind of judgement fairly.”

“And you yourself said that I’m not your type, so why are we even having this conversation?” Clarke retorted with an arch of her eyebrow.

“Just testing the waters.”

 _What does that even mean?_ Clarke frowned.

“See ya ‘round, Griffin.” Anya winked and sauntered into her row.

“What the hell was that?” Raven muttered.

“I don’t even know. I want to say that I think she’s been flirting with me, but I know flirting and unless she has some warped idea of what social etiquette dictates flirting to be, who knows.”

“She and the Commander still aren’t talking. That could be why she’s being all weird,” Raven commented, handing Clarke a towel.

“They aren’t? Why not?”

Raven lifted a shoulder. “It’s been like an ice nation between them. Has been all week.”

Clarke found herself wondering if Lexa was okay, and immediately corrected her thinking. While her crush was still burning under her skin, she’d had firm discussions with herself regarding her behaviour. She was not some schoolgirl who couldn’t handle the sight of a beautiful woman. She had more self-control than that.

A flash of how she had often masturbated to the memory of Lexa working out entered her mind and she swallowed.

“You okay, Griff?”

“Yep!” Clarke squeaked out. “Um, I’m gonna go do some cardio.”

Raven rolled her eyes and lifted Clarke’s shirt to reveal the firm stomach underneath. “Like you need any more tone.”

“Shut up,” Clarke chuckled, pulling her shirt down. “I plan on a weekend of painting and junk food. I’m just getting a head start, is all.”

“Want some company?” Raven offered, pausing at the front desk.

“Maybe tomorrow. Tonight I feel like I’m just gonna need my own creative space.”

“Sounds good. I’ll bring Chinese.”

Clarke grinned and kissed Raven’s cheek. “And this is why I love you.”

“Go get sweaty, Princess,” her best friend chuckled.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Clarke replied in a sultry tone, sending Raven an exaggerated wink.

They both laughed and Clarke spun around to head to the gym floor. Lexa was walking towards her, a blank look on her face. The blonde pulled her mouth to one side as she contemplated how serious the Commander had been the past week. Maybe something was wrong. Maybe she and Anya had a falling out and she needed a friend.

_Yeah, right._

Clarke sighed and sent Lexa a small smile as they passed each other. She wasn’t too surprised that it wasn’t returned, let alone acknowledged. 

* * *

 

“Lexa, you can’t give me the silent treatment forever,” Anya said in exasperation. “Seriously, it’s been almost a week. You’ve kicked my ass fifty times and I’ve said sorry a hundred times.”

“You can say sorry as many times as you like, Anya,” Lexa replied, her tone quiet and stern. “Apologising does not erase what you did.”

“I can’t take back what I did, but I do regret it. Shouldn’t that count for something?”

Lexa stood up, her eyes flashing dangerously. “You regret it? What you did brought back memories that I did not ask for, nor want. What you did set back any progress that I have made over the last six months.”

To her credit, Anya did look guilty. She shuffled her feet, an uncharacteristically nervous trait for her friend.

“I thought-“

“No, you didn’t. You did not think, Anya. And that is what makes me so mad.”

Anya sighed. “You can’t pretend that you don’t feel anything anymore, Lex. She was a huge part of your life, of both of our lives, and you’d probably be doing a lot better if you just accepted the fact that you two weren’t good for each other anymore.”

That stung, but Lexa knew that it was the truth. It was an incredibly hard lesson that she had been forced to learn when Costia had broken up with her nine months before.

“If you knew that then what possessed you to invite them that night?”

“I invited Luna. Costia wasn’t planned, but they are best friends so I knew there was a possibility that she would be there.”

“And you didn’t think to warn me?” Lexa hissed, her anger increasing once more.

“Why?” Anya let out a laugh. “It was difficult enough just getting you to come out and have a drink with me.”

“You should have told me.”

“Maybe. Either way, you need to deal with your latent anger towards Costia and your break up.”

Lexa clenched her fist. More than anything, she hated people telling her how to deal with her emotions. She knew that she took time to process things, especially when it came to feelings, but she had invested ten years of her life with Costia – five of which had been romantic. She couldn’t just _deal_ with that in a few months and then pretend that everything was okay. It wasn’t how she worked. She had expected Anya to know that.

“Be at the studio at eleven,” Lexa muttered, straightening her shirt.

“No.”

Lexa stopped short. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t take orders from you, Lexa. I am your best friend. Even if I did something stupid, which yes, I did, my best friend should forgive me because that’s what best friends do. We fuck up, do stupid shit, stick our heads up our asses, but we forgive each other. I forgave you for sleeping with Luna.”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “You and Luna have never had a relationship. She and I were both single. I don’t need to apologise for anything.”

“No, you don’t,” Anya agreed quietly. “But you knew that I had feelings for her and slept with her anyway. You were hurting and she helped numb the pain for a bit. But, Lexa, even though you didn’t ask for forgiveness, I had to grant it to you. If I hadn’t, I would have been angry with you for so long.” She looked down. “I probably would still be angry with you.”

Lexa straightened her back. “My emotions do not have a time limit or due date. I deal with them when and how I see fit.”

Anya sighed. “I’m not telling you how to feel or when to feel. I’m just trying to make you see things from a different perspective. I know you like your little Commander bubble that protects you from things you don’t like, but our friendship shouldn’t be something that you protect yourself from.”

Lexa lifted her brows. “Our friendship may not be, but it would appear that I do need to protect myself from you.”

The hurt look that Anya sent her almost shook Lexa’s resolve, but she held strong and walked out of the locker room, trying her best to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. 

* * *

 

Clarke’s chest was burning, but in the best way. She could feel the sweat running down her back and chest, but it only drove her to keep up the furious pace set by the music in the studio.

“Ten reps!” the Commander called from the front. “Finish on a high and give it all you’ve got!”

Clarke grit her teeth and lifted herself into yet another plank. She held for an excruciating thirty seconds, counting with the Commander. There was only a five second break between each rep and Clarke found her arm muscles shaking, but she held on.

She was damned if she was going to look weak in front of the Commander.

“Hold for thirty!”

Clarke raised herself up and almost grinned at the groans coming from around her as the other gym members did the same.

It hadn’t been in her plans to take the Commander’s demanding morning cardio workout, but she had a fair bit of energy after circling the gym floor, and she also had the time. So instead of lounging in the sauna, she checked the availability in the class and saw that there had been a cancellation. She took it as a sign.

“Last one! Hold it for as long as you can! Push yourselves!”

Clarke didn’t look up, but she knew that Lexa was doing the last plank with everyone. Her competitiveness was legendary. And okay, so it was another thing that Clarke found incredibly alluring about the Commander.

It wasn’t like Lexa _needed_ to be any more alluring than she already was.

_Maybe the pent up energy is because of the lack of sex…_

Clarke blinked. The last thing she needed to be thinking about when she was all hot and sweaty in a room with Lexa Woods, was why she had a sudden increase in energy.

“Good job, everyone!”

Clarke dropped to the floor and rolled onto her back, trying to control her breathing even though her lungs were craving the oxygen.

She was tired, but she felt good. She felt energised for the day ahead and the excess…whatever that she’d been feeling was gone.

A cool sensation against her arm snapped her eyes open. Clarke blinked rapidly, focusing on the Commander standing over her.

“Water?” she asked.

Clarke sat up and took the bottle on offer. “Uh, thanks.” She looked around. The studio was pretty much empty.

“I was worried you’d passed out,” Lexa commented.

Clarke arched an eyebrow and met her gaze. “It takes more than that to tire me out.”

Lexa opened her mouth to say something, but obviously changed her mind and promptly closed it. She stood up straight and Clarke marvelled at how she almost became a whole different person in the space of a few seconds.

 _She must have some serious walls_ , she determined. _No one can pull on a mask that quickly without having had a serious amount of practice._

Clarke stood up and rolled out her muscles. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it to wipe her face. She breathed out and glanced at the Commander once more, only the green eyes she loved to draw were focused on her revealed skin.

Clarke swallowed. _Does that mean…_

She shook her head. Nope, the Commander clearly had some issues and no matter how big Clarke’s crush was, it was clear that nothing was going to come of it.

After all, hadn’t she been telling Raven about how she wanted something real and lasting? There was no point in being hung up on someone who wasn’t going to return the feelings.

Clarke dropped her shirt and opened the bottle of water, taking a long gulp.

“Thanks for the session, Commander.”

Lexa’s eyes snapped up to hers and Clarke found herself short of breath again, only this time it wasn’t because she was doing minute-long squats. As they had a few times before, they held each other’s gazes before Clarke had to blink.

“I should get ready,” she murmured. “I’ll see you, Lexa.”

She quickly walked to the back of the studio and grabbed her stuff.

“Have a good day, Clarke.”

_Holy shit._

Clarke reckoned a cold shower may be in order. 

* * *

 

So much for getting rid of that pent up energy. By the time Clarke was getting ready to help close up the gym, she was buzzing again. Raven had left at three, so Clarke had been trying to keep herself occupied for the last four hours by begging Octavia to give her something to do.

“Griffin, the floor is clear. Check the locker room, would you?” Octavia called from the pool area.

“Sure thing!” Clarke grabbed a stack of towels and headed for the locker room, glad to just be moving.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

She sang along to Ed Sheeran’s _Shape Of You_ as it played over the sound system in the locker room. She methodically checked every section and made sure that it was clear. Members always left things behind. Their lost and found was almost overflowing.

Clarke was walking through the showers when the stall just ahead opened and she squeaked in surprise at the sight of Lexa.

The Commander was wearing a towel.

Just a towel.

Only a towel.

Nothing underneath the towel.

Clarke swallowed and averted her eyes, willing all of the impure thoughts in her brain to cease and desist.

“We meet again, Clarke.”

The blonde carefully lifted her eyes. “Um, yeah. W-Well, I was just, you know, checking you out.” _Fuck_. “No! I mean checking everything out. Like the locker room. Not you. Nope.” _Kill me now. Ugh._

Lexa simply smiled and gathered her wet hair over one shoulder. “I won’t be long. I know Octavia likes to get out of here as soon after seven-thirty as possible.”

Clarke nodded, too afraid to speak after the word vomit that had fallen out of her mouth earlier.

Lexa walked past and Clarke tried really hard not to inhale, but _goddamn_ did she smell good. So clean and fresh and _scrumptious._

Her eyes fell to dark marks on the top of Lexa’s neck. Clarke’s eyes widened.

Tattoos.

Oh no.

Tattoos were a big weakness. _The_ weakness. Clarke was an artist. Ink on skin was just beautiful to her.

“I like your tattoo,” she blurted out.

“Oh. Which one?” Lexa asked, turning around.

_Which one? As in she had more? Oh fuck._

“Um…the one o-on your back. On your neck, I mean.”

Lexa smiled softly and lifted her hand to the spot. “Thank you.”

It was then that Clarke saw the ink running underneath Lexa’s collar bone. She also had black designs around her upper arm, which Clarke hadn’t seen before because the Commander always wore sleeves to her elbows.

She swallowed again. Lexa’s sexy level was skyrocketing and she was slowly starting to become more flustered and giddy than she knew how to handle.

“Um, I-I’ll see you, Lexa,” she stammered, spinning on her heel in total mortification.

_So much for that pep talk earlier. Jesus, get a grip._

“Do you have any?” Lexa asked.

Clarke turned back. “Any what?”

Lexa smiled. “Tattoos?”

“Oh. Yeah. A few.” She held up her wrist. “My dad’s name. I also have a few on my back.”

“They’re meaningful to you?”

Clarke nodded. “I’m an artist. Putting any permanent artwork on my body is going to have to mean a lot to me. I don’t like regret. Life’s too short for it.”

A flash of something crossed Lexa’s face for a second and it made Clarke frown. The Commander was a total topsy turvy mess.

She hated that a big part of her really wanted to figure that mess out. 

* * *

 

“I don’t like regret. Life’s too short for it.”

Clarke’s words resonated in Lexa’s mind. She was able to school her expression almost immediately, but from the look on Clarke’s face, it appeared that she had let her surprise show too much.

Regret.

It was a word that had been going around in her head all day after she’d spoken with Anya. Her friend had admitted her regret for her actions. Lexa’s default setting had been to strike back while her opponent was down, which had fuelled her cruel words. Anya had forgone their sparring session that morning and Lexa hadn’t seen her since.

“Lexa? Are you okay?”

She snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the blue eyes swirling with concern.

 _Oh no_.

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s been a long day, I suppose. I’ll leave you to your duties, Clarke.”

“Wait!”

Lexa exhaled slowly but didn’t turn back around. She could feel the heat of Clarke’s body close behind hers.

_What are you doing?_

Soft fingers brushed the nape of her neck and Lexa had to muster a lot more control than she expected to limit her body’s response to that simple touch. Her heart started hammering, her skin became clammy (although that could be attributed to the fact that there was lingering steam in the shower room), her grip on her towel tightened so that her knuckles were white, her breathing was short and there was a tingling sensation left where Clarke’s fingers traced.

_Oh my God._

“It’s beautiful,” Clarke whispered, and Lexa felt like she was ghosting words into her ear. It did nothing for whatever synapse overhaul her body was undergoing.

“Thank you,” she eventually whispered back.

Clarke’s fingers travelled down to where Lexa’s back tattoo started, which wasn’t much farther down from her infinity tattoo on her neck.

“Such a unique design,” the blonde murmured. “You’re exquisite.”

_Oh my God._

“As are you, Clarke,” she found herself replying.

_What the hell, Lexa?_

The hand dropped from her back and the difference was incredible. The tingling was still there, but a lot less. She felt like she could breathe a bit easier, but Clarke’s lovely scent invaded her nostrils and it was something so wonderful that she wanted to revel in it for a little longer. She felt, rather than heard, Clarke walking around so that they were face-to-face. For a few moments, their eyes locked and stayed. Lexa could read the stars in those beautiful blue orbs. Clarke’s hand lifted – Lexa could see from her peripheral vision – and came to rest just above her collar bone.

Cue the tingles once more.

“Get knocked down, get back up again.”

Lexa’s breath hitched. “You…you know Trigedasleng?”

Clarke smiled up at her. “I studied it in college. Something old and forgotten… What wasn’t there to love?”

_Uh oh._

“It is important to me,” Lexa began before she knew what she was doing. “I have had some trials in life, but whenever something or someone knocked me down, I got back up and tried even harder.”

“It’s an admirable quote, Lexa. I think it fits you very well.”

“Thank you, Clarke.” She tried her best to hide how much those words meant. Coming from anyone, they would have been meaningful, but coming from Clarke Griffin, they meant so much more. Clarke was pure wonder. She was smiling and helpful, willing to do anything and help anyone.

Clarke elevated herself. She elevated herself above everyone and Lexa was the one in awe.

“I admire you, Clarke.”

The smile on the blonde’s face shook for a moment, but returned in full force. Lexa didn’t move as Clarke stepped closer, the hand still fisting her towel brushing against Clarke’s chest.

They were close. Very close. Too close.

But Lexa couldn’t find the will to pull away. For the first time since Costia, she found herself not _wanting_ to pull away, to immediately put a comfortable distance between them.

In what seemed like slow motion, Clarke moved her head closer to Lexa’s. Their noses brushed and Lexa could feel Clarke’s breath on her lips. That alone was enough to make her shiver.

Clarke wasn’t moving any closer. Lexa swallowed. She knew why. She was waiting for Lexa to close the distance. She was putting the ball in her court, so to speak.

She wanted to.

It had been so long since she had wanted to do something as much as she wanted to kiss Clarke Griffin.

Lexa licked her lips quickly and closed her eyes, leaning forward the few centimetres needed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the gym is now closed. Please make your way to the exit and ensure that you have all your belongings with you.”

_Fucking Octavia._

The reality check was enough to bring Lexa to her senses. She opened her eyes and stepped back. “I, uh…”

Clarke lifted her hand as if to reach out to her. “Lexa…”

She couldn’t do it. It would only end badly. What the hell had she been thinking? Without another word, Lexa walked past Clarke and into the locker room.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as a cliffhanger? The last one was pretty lacklustre anyway lol. Hope you enjoyed :)  
> -H

**Author's Note:**

> And I shall leave it there for now ;) Hope you all enjoyed!  
> -H


End file.
